Parliamentary Contributions

Oral Contributions:

• 05.02 – National Cancer Plan – I made an intervention to thank the minister for publishing an ambitious plan which places my Rare Cancers Bill at the heart of the Government’s rare cancers strategy, and asked for clarification around a few critical points in the plan
• 04.02 – Lord Mandelson – I made a speech to argue that the Government must stop paying Mandelson a salary and a pension. I also highlighted the hypocrisy from opposition parties who were keen to blame the PM, but did not express any reservations at the time of Mandelson’s appointment.
• 04.02 – Fast-Track Visas: Skilled US Citizens –I intervened twice to highlight constituent’s concerns around the proposed changes to ILR, arguing that we need to continue to attract the best and brightest minds to Britain
• 03.03 – Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill – I intervened to suggest that Conservative MPs with second jobs might struggle to relate to the people who will benefit most from the removal of the cap
• 03.02 – Town and City Centre Safety – I made a short speech to highlight growing issues around the sale of illegal e-bikes and reckless driving of e-bikes
• 02.02 – Indefinite Leave to Remain – I made a speech to emphasise the critical role that immigrants play in supporting our NHS and universities.

Written Questions Answered:

• Carbon Emissions – consideration of international policy frameworks that distribute responsibility for emissions reductions to account for historic and present inequalities between high-emitting and low-emitting nations
• Cycling and Electric Bicycles: Safety –  remit of the new Road Safety Investigation Branch in relation to cycling and e-bikes
• Roads: Safety – assessment of the potential impact of the road safety strategy on deaths and serious injuries from cycling and walking
• Consumption and Supply Chains: Developing Countries – steps to ensure that UK consumption and supply chains do not indirectly contribute to (a) deprivation and (b) exploitative conditions in lower-income countries

Media Mentions:

• 03.02 – Cancer fund to tackle screening inequalities launched by government – The Pharmacist covered the National Cancer Plan announcement, noting the central role that my Bill will play, in terms of delivering for rare cancer patients.
• 04.02 – Epstein links reignite scrutiny of Mandelson in Scotland | The Herald covered a number of Scottish MPs contributions in the Mandelson debate, including my own which characterised Mandelson as a deceitful traitor.
• 04.02 – Check how your MP voted in bill to scrap two-child benefit cap – Manchester Evening News covered the recent debate on removing the cap. I ranked among the many Labour MPs who voted in favour of removing the cap, and even wrote to the PM in the days leading up to the budget, to call for its removal.
• 05.02 – Stephen Flynn accused of ‘grandstanding for social media and making the front page of The National’ – Scottish Daily Express covered my clash with Stephen Flynn during the Mandelson debate. In the debate I noted that Flynn was grandstanding for media clicks, rather than on any sincere point of principle.
• 05.02 – Edinburgh MP Christine Jardine says Americans fleeing Donald Trump should get fast-track visa to UK – this article in the Evening News covered the Edinburgh MPs contributions in the recent Skilled Visas debate. I intervened on behalf of a constituent from the US who is worried changes to ILR will hamper his ability to work and employee people, in Scotland.